Dear Friends & Family,

I'm proud to be fundraising for the organization I work for, Explore Austin, during our annual peer-to-peer campaign.

Explore Austin is a nonprofit that provides outdoor adventure programs and long-term mentorship for local sixth through twelfth graders from economically disadvantaged communities. Ninety-seven percent of the program's kids identify as youth of color. Many are also first-generation English speakers. Despite having lived in the city limits or in neighboring counties for most of their lives, many have never been to Austin's iconic Zilker Park or cooled off in Barton Springs before enrolling. Some have never learned how to ride a bike or swim, let alone learned how to rock climb, rappel, backpack, canoe or camp. For the majority of  Explore Austin's youth, their first week-long Summer Wilderness Trip out of state marks their first time away from home and their first time on a plane.

But what makes the Explore Austin program truly unique is the combination of year-round outdoor adventure with long-term mentorship. Each team of Explorers (typically 15 youth) has five adult Mentors who commit to the team for the full six years of the program -- truly remarkable! These Mentors model leadership, curiosity, discipline, challenge-tackling and more. When you support EA's mission through the Trailblazer campaign, you are ensuring that this transformational program can continue to be provided FREE OF COST to all participants. Research shows when youth have a long-term, caring adult in their life, access to challenging outdoor activities, and opportunities to lead others and themselves, they are more confident and prepared to reach their highest level of success.

Explore Austin is the only program in Texas and one of only five in the US that combines long-term mentorship with year-round outdoor adventure. In 2023, 95 Mentors provided a collective 11,702 hours of mentoring to 266 youth over their 153 school-year Saturday Challenges and 18 Summer Wilderness Trips. 

We know that time in nature is essential to wellbeing, but access isn't equitable. Explore Austin's programming seeks to address this.

I've now had the opportunity to attend two Summer Wilderness Trips. In 2023, I joined a team of 15-year-olds on a 35-mile canoeing trip on the Buffalo National River, and this summer I joined one of the senior teams on their final trip for rock climbing in City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho. This group of high school seniors completely impressed me. Every single one of them got up on the wall multiple times throughout the week, even the ones who were afraid of heights or felt overwhelmed at the prospect. They encouraged each other -- and me! -- when the climbing was tough. At their encouragement, I myself scaled 100-foot granite walls, pushing past my fear! I impressed myself, and I know they impressed themselves and each other, too.

Thank you in advance for contributing to my Trailblazer campaign benefiting Explore Austin!

6-YEAR PROGRAM | 100% FREE | YEAR ROUND | 100% GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL | ONLY 1 IN TX 

JOIN ME IN SUPPORTING LOCAL YOUTH TODAY!